If you're one of the approximately 32 million Brits who still owns a burgundy passport, you'll need to make some vital checks before you head on holiday this summer - or you could risk ruining your travel plans.

The UK switched from burgundy passports to blue ones in 2020, but as of early 2025, it was estimated that around 32 million Brits still owned a valid burgundy passport. This is because UK passports are usually valid for 10 years, so burgundy passports could be in use until at least 2029, and perhaps even into 2030.

But as we approach peak holiday season, Brits with burgundy passports are being advised to scrutinise the information printed on the document - as one thing that's no longer included on UK passports could "break travel rules".

A TikTok video posted by Rudge Daily highlighted the need for "vital checks" by burgundy passport holders, particularly focusing on the passport's issue and expiry dates.

The narrator cautioned: "There's a high chance the old coloured documents break travel rules, so anyone who owns one is urged to make vital checks well in advance. The two most important details to check are your passport's issue date and expiry date."

For travel to the European Union (EU), passports must be under 10 years old on the day of entry, and should have a minimum validity of three months from your intended departure date.

Before 2018, passports could actually be valid for up to 10 years and nine months. This is because if your old passport expired in August but you renewed it in March, the remaining months would be added to your new passport, giving you 10 years and 5 months instead of just 10 years.

This practice ended in 2018, but if you have a passport issued in 2016 or 2017, you'll need to make sure it's still valid. For example, if your passport was issued in March 2016 and expires in August 2026, you might think you're valid to travel on it now, as you still have over three months until it expires, but you would be denied entry into the EU because your passport is over 10 years old.

The TikTok creator explained: "While you might still have plenty of time left before the expiry date, it is more likely to be over 10 years old and therefore invalid for EU travel. If you're going abroad, it's always best to just quickly Google the passport rules for [the country you're visiting].

"Brits going on their holidays continue to be caught out by the rules, as research found that fewer than 50% of people are aware of the 10-year cut-off before 2018."

This issue primarily affects those with burgundy passports, as anyone with a blue passport will have received it in 2020 or later, ensuring it falls within the valid date range since adult passports are issued for exactly 10 years.

However, parents should note that even if their children have blue passports, they should still check their validity, as children's passports are typically valid for only five years.

Holidaymakers heading to the EU should also be aware of the new Entry/Exit System (EES), which began in October 2025 and changed requirements for British citizens travelling to the Schengen area.

If you are travelling to a Schengen country - which includes most of Europe except the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus - for a short stay using a UK passport, you may be required to register your biometric data, such as fingerprints, upon arrival. You do not need to take any action before you arrive at the border, and there is no cost for EES registration.

This process replaces the current system of manually stamping passports when visitors arrive in the EU, but it may take each passenger longer to complete, so holidaymakers should be prepared to wait longer than usual at the border.

For more information on EES and other travel rules, visit the Gov.uk website.